Historical Fiction Online

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Lots of fiction about Jeanne d'Arc - see the 14th-15th century page (the 100 Years War section) at www.HistoricalNovels.info. I haven't read most of it, so can't vouch for the quality. But Mark Twain's novel follows the historical record pretty closely.

I wrote an article about Jeanne for Black Night, the fanzine of the Blackmore's Night Renaissance rock band. Back copies are not readily available, but I will make a note to post the article in the "Articles" section of my website. Some of the best of the nonfiction sources I used were:

Kelly DeVries, Joan of Arc: A Military Leader (1999)
Joan of Arc: In Her Own Words, compiled and translated by Willard Trask (1996)
Donald Spoto, Joan: The Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Became a Saint (2007)
Régine Pernoud and Marie Véronique Clin, Joan of Arc: Her Story (1998)
Siobhan Nash-Marshall, Joan of Arc: A Spiritual Biography (1999)
Régine Pernoud, The Retrial of Joan of Arc (1955)

It's probably out there, but I'd like to read a little about U.S. Grant. He got *$&* done. When folks told Lincoln Grant was a drunk, he said "Send each of my other generals a case of whatever he's drinking!" I bet there's lots to write about with him.

Either a book about Cleopatra II and her daughters; especially Cleoptra III who stole mummy's hubby, her own brother, away from her.

Or the next generation's Cleopatra's who duked it out in Syria as they married and unmarried the various Seleucids and pretenders.

Good bloody stuff that makes Shakespeare's tragedies look like a lark.

Colleen McCullough in her prime would have done wonders with this era and set of characters (assuming she was completely over her Jonas Bros crush on Julius Caesar and didn't write it completely slanted to pay homage to him and Rome coughAntony&Cleopatracough).

It would take a great researcher and of course even more a great writer who didn't look at these women, and men, and slap a modern pearl clutching politically correct sensibility on everything.

"Spitfire" wrote:I would love to read a book about Zenobia, the Warrior Queen of Palmyra. She was beautiful, ambitious, capable as an administrator, fluent in several languages and used to campaigning with her husband. In 267 CE, Zenobia's husband and heir were assasinated. Zenobia managed to gain the respect and support of her subjects. She marched with her armies into Egypt and proclaimed herself queen in 269 CE, subsequently strengthening and embellishing her capital city Palmyra (to the point that it ranked with the larger cities of the Roman world). Her reign lasted no more than five years however, as she was defeated by Emperor Aurelian in 272 CE, who sacked Palmyra beyond repair. Zenobia was granted clemency and was said to have married a Roman senator and presumably spent the rest of her life in retirement.

Have you come across Zenobia: The Rebel Queen, by Judith Weingarten? I think it's the first in an intended trilogy, as it only covers the first part of Zenobia's life and the main narrator is a different character. I reviewed it a while ago (http://www.carlanayland.org/reviews/zenobia_rebel_queen.htm).